• Homeowners need test meters and strips, along with chemical additives, to take care of their saltwater pools.water in pool image by JoLin from Fotolia.com
  
  Saltwater pools use saltwater generators to create chlorine out of salt particles in the water. Since the generator provides regular injections of chlorine into the filtration system, there is no extra chlorine floating in the pool system, which means the water is cleaner and softer and does not smell. Owners of saltwater pools should keep several products handy for maintenance.
  
  

Conditioner

• Conditioner helps protect the chlorine in the pool from damage by the sun's ultraviolet rays, giving the chlorine enough time to do its job before it dissipates. The active ingredient in the conditioner is cyanuric acid, and levels should be kept around 80 parts per million. Homeowners can pick up these conditioners at local pool stores.
  
  

Booster Chemicals

• While saltwater pools do take care of most of the contaminants in the water, they are not quite as effective as the older chlorine systems, and sometimes leave trace amounts of contaminants alive. In order to fully disinfect the pool, homeowners should also keep additive or booster chemicals, such as bromine, on hand. The saltwater pool manual gives instructions on how bromine should added and how much should be present in the pool.
  
  

Salt

• The salt in saltwater pools is renewable and rarely needs to be changed, but it can sometimes be depleted, especially if a large amount of the water evaporates, or if the water in the pool is replaced. In this case, homeowners need to have a supply of salt present to replenish the pool. Pool stores sell bags of salt, but different types of salt will work as long as they are very pure. Salt with iodine added cannot be used.
  
  

Test Meters

• Test meters are small electronic meters that pool owners use to test what compounds are present in the pool. Most meters test for either chlorine or salt, or both. It is useful for saltwater pool owners to have meters that can test both, or at least meters for each, to keep track of the necessary compounds.
  
  

Test Strips

• Test strips are single-use versions of test meters. They have wider applications and are more dependable than electronic readers. Saltwater pool owners may prefer the strips to test the pH levels, since like other pools the pH levels need to be in the right range to keep the pool healthy and free of contaminants. Pool owners can buy these test strips in packets or as part of kits.